Earticle

A bacterium CGH18 exhibiting antioxidizing and chitin-degrading activities in the colloidal chitin culture medium was isolated from salt-fermented crab. This strain was identified as Bacillus idriensis based on 16S rDNA sequence homology search. Its crude extract was partitioned between n-BuOH and H2O. The organic layer was further partitioned between CH2Cl2 and H2O. Antioxidant activities of crude extract and its solvent fractions were evaluated using five different bioassay methods,including the degree of occurrence of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), peroxynitrite scavenging (ONOO),and oxidative damage of genomic DNA. All fractions exhibited significant antioxidant activity in bioassay systems used.

Bovine Carbonic anhydrase (BCA) was immobilized on a submicro-porous membrane through covalent immobilization. The immobilization was conducted on the porous membrane surface with the treatment of polyethyleneimine, glutaraldehyde, and the anhydrase, in sequence. The immobilization was confirmed using X-ray photon spectrometer. The pH values of carbon-dioxide saturated solution with buffer were monitored with respect to time to calculate the catalytic activities of hydration of carbon-dioxide for free and immobilized CA. The catalytic rate constant values for free CA, immobilized CA on polystyrene nanoparticles, and immobilized CA on a porous cellulose acetate membrane were 0.79, 0.67, and 0.56 s-1, respectively. Reusability was studied up to 10 cycles of CO2 sequestration. The activity for the CA immobilized on the membrane was kept to 95% after 10 cycles, and comparable to the CA on the nanoparticles. The stabilities for heat and storage were also investigated for the three cases. The results suggested that the CA immobilized the membrane had the least loss rate of the activity compared to the others. From this study, the porous membrane was feasible as a carrier for the CA immobilization in hydration and sequestration of carbon-dioxide.

Amyloid β peptide (Aβ) still best known as a molecule to cause Alzheimer's disease (AD). AD is characterized by the accumulation and deposition of Aβ within the brain, leading to neuronal cell loss and perturbation of synaptic function by causing free radical formation, inflammation and apoptosis. We investigated the inflammatory action of Aβ on two types of brain cells, neuronal cells (SH-SY5Y) and neuroglia cells (C6), and its mechanism. We measured the production of NO-iNOS, TNF-α, and ICAM-1 using RT-PCR and Western blot analysis less than the concentration of cytotoxic effects (> 70% survivability). Aβ had no effect on the production of NO and TNF-α, but significantly increases of iNOS and ICAM-1. Based on this, we suggest that the inflammatory effect of Aβ results from the action of ICAM-1 in neuronal cells, rather than the release of inflammatory mediators such as NO and TNF-α in neuroglia cells. In addition, we confirmed whether p53 was related to the action of Aβ by using SH-SY5Y (p53-/-) dominant cells. Neither the expression of p53 nor the cytotoxicity of SH-SY5Y (p53-/-) cells were directly affected by Aβ. However, ICAM-1 was not expressed in SH-SY5Y (p53-/-) cells. This means that p53- independent pathway exists in the expression of ICAM-1 by Aβ while p53 plays a role as an on-and-off switch.

Astaxanthin is one of the carotenoid with strong antioxidant. The conditions of extraction of astaxanthin from Portunus trituberculatus were optimized in this work. Six factors of conditions such as, extraction method, extraction solvent, ratio of solvent to raw material, temperature, and time, were investigated. For the increase of the extraction yield, ionic liquids were used as additives in the extraction solvent. The optimum extraction conditions were found: heat reflux extraction, Dichloromethane/methanol (25:75, v/v) as solvent, 1:30 of the ratio of solvent raw material, 80oC, 90 min, and ionic liquid as additive. As a result, 45.81 μg/g of astaxanthin was extracted from waste.

In order to investigate functional characterization of callus extracts of apple ‘Hirosaki’ for cosmetic materials, biological activities of its extracts including wrinkle improvement, hair growth, and anti-inflammatory effect were investigated. The callus extract showed similar activity with TGF-β used as positive control at 50 μg/mL in the test of collagen synthesis, and increased 40% of proliferation of hair follicle dermal papilla cells. Especially, in case of anti-inflammatory effect, callus extract inhibited about 50% of COX-2 expression which was known as response for intermediating inflammation, and about 70% of eotaxin-1 production which was increased by atopy dermatitis.

In this study, we analyzed the attachment amount and the surface properties, such as shape and attachment aspect of silver nanoparticles on the surface of salt and sucrose. In addition, we investigated the antimicrobial activity of silver nanoparticles by measuring total colony counts and total coliforms in sewage according to the time and the amount of silver nanoparticles. As a result, it is found that silver nanoparticles are attached on the surface of salt and sucrose from the SEM images and there is no microorganisms on the surface of salt and sucrose. Silver nanoparticles on salt were rod shape but silver nanoparticles on sucrose were round shape. Also, the content of silver was 0.735 mg/g on salt and 0.885 mg/g on sucrose. In all experiments, total colony counts and total coliforms sharply declined initially, and it decreased gradually as change the time. When injection amount of nano silver sucrose and salt increased, the width of decline was greater. The amount of total colony counts and total coliforms of nano silver salt was much lower and the disinfection efficiency was higher comparing with nano silver sucrose. That means the case of nano silver salt is much better at the antimicrobial activity.

Herein we present a diagnostic paper chip that can quantitatively detect albumin without external electronic reader and dispensing apparatus. We fabricated a diagnostic paper chip device by printing wax barrier on the paper and wicking it with citrate buffer and tetrabromophenol blue to detect albumin in sample solution. The paper chip is so simple that we dropped a sample solution at sample pad and measure the ratio of two travel distances of the sample solvent and albumin under the name of retention factor. Our result confirmed that the retention factor was constant in the samples with same concentration of albumin and useful determinant for the measurement of albumin concentration. The paper chip is affordable and equipment-free, and close to ideal point-of-care test in accordance with the assured criteria, outlined by the World Health Organization. We assume that this diagnostic paper chip will expand the concept of colorimetric determination and provide a inexpensive diagnostic method to aging society and developing country.

Transgenic plant cell cultures are an attractive expression system for the production of industrial and pharmaceutical proteins because of their advantages in safety and low production cost. Human cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4-immunoglobulin (hCTLA4Ig) was produced and secreted when sugar was depleted in culture medium by transgenic rice cell lines (Oryza sativa L.) using RAmy3D promoter. Due to the production of the target protein by sugar depletion, concomitant occurrence of cell death is inevitable. For that reason, inhibition of cell death for enhancing productivity was necessary for the production period without energy sources. Supplementation of 0.1 mM sodium nitroprusside improved cell viability by 1.4-fold and maximum hCTLA4Ig production by 1.3-fold compared to those of control. Addition of 1 and 10 mM glutathione, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), and nicotinamide inhibited apoptotic-like programmed cell death by decreasing the activity of reactive oxygen species. Production hCTLA4Ig was enhanced 1.4-, 1.25-, and 1.15-fold with 10 mM NAC, 1 mM NAC, and 1 mM glutathione, respectively. In addition, it was found that the supplementation of NAC enhanced the cell viability.